Apparatus for forming individual pads from otherwise continuous batt strips



Feb. 25, 1964 c. G. JOA

APPARATUS FOR FORMING INDIVIDUAL PADS FROM OTHERWISE CONTINUOUS BATT STRIPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1961 INVENTOR. Cue?- 6-. Jen

A r roe/vs v5 D Feb. 25, 1964 c. e. JOA- APPARATUS FOR FORMING INDIVIDUAL PADS FROM OTHERWISE CONTINUOUS BATT STRIPS Filed Jan. 3, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

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A TORNE Y5 Feb. 25, c. JOA APPARATUS FOR FORMING INDIVIDUAL PADS FROM OTHERWISE CONTINUOUS BATT STRIPS Filed Jan. 3, 1961 4 Sheets$heet 3 INVENTOR. cuer 6-. J66

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r APPARATUS FOR FORMING INDIVIDUAL PADS FROM OTHERWISE CGNTINUGUS BATT STRIPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 5, 1961 l M I INVEN TOR. 60/27 6'. s/pfl WAAIQMHQA United States Patent d ice BJZZihB Patented Feb. 25, 1954 3,122,293 APPARATUS FOR FORMING INDIVIDUAL PADS FRGM OTHERWISE CUNTHIUOUS BATI STRHPS Curt G. Jun, Box 1121, Boynton Beach, Fla. Filed Jan. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 80,165 7 Claims. (Cl. 22593) This invention relates to a batt divider unit and embodies improvements on the batt divider unit shown in my copending application Serial No. 760,963, filed September 15, 1958, now US. Patent 3,020,687 and prior applications Serial No. 742,289 filed June 16, 1958, now abandoned, and Serial No. 664,063 filed June 6, 1957, now US. Patent 3,017,795.

In the prior application aforesaid, the batt material subdividing hoods are driven by a unidirectionally rotating cam. The shape of such cam governs such details of hood motion as acceleration, deceleration, forward speed, reverse speed, etc. The cam aforesaid drives the hoods rom the mid-point of a carriage on which the hoods are mounted. For larger and wider batt dividing installations, mid-point drive has not proven to be entirely satisfactory for all conditions.

The present invention embodies improvements over the structures aforesaid in that the hood carriage is driven concurrently at its side margins. Such a drive is more positive, is capable of handling higher loads and lends itself to precise control and accurate management of the movements of the hoods, without side sway, cramping, or other impediments to smooth operation of the hoods.

More specifically, the present invention is embodied in a pair of threaded drive shafts which are in threaded coupling engagement with the side margins of the hood carriages. These threaded drive shafts are driven through a reversing transmission to selectively drive the shafts in one direction or the other to respectively advance the carriage and hoods forwardly or retract the carriage and hoods rearwardly with respect to the parallel movement of the batt strip conveyor.

The reversing transmission desirably includes electromagnetic couplings which act upon forward and reversing gear sets to selectively couple the power source to the threaded drive shafts.

For timing purposes the threaded couplings between the drive shafts and hood carriages can be advanced or retracted with respect to the drive shaft and independently of the powered operation thereof through the reversing transmission. The electromagnetic couplings are actuated in timed relation to the movements of the hood carriage along the conveyor, limit switches being disposed on the path of the carriage for actuation thereby.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear from the following disclosure in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view which diagrammatically illustrates the general overall functional operation of the batt divider unit.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a batt divider unit embodying the present invention, a feeder therefor being shown fragmentarily.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross section taken through a hood engaged with a batt strip on the conveyor.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of a batt divider unit embodying the invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary end elevation on a larger scale than that shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan of one of the adjustable vacuum hoods.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary end elevation of the batt divider of FIG. 5, portions of the hood being shown in cross section.

FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic electrical circuit diagram showing the relationship between the control switches and the operating components of the batt divider unit.

FIG. 9 is an elevation of the reversing transmission with the cover removed to expose the gearing and with portions thereof shown in cross section.

FIG. 10 is a cross section talcen along the line 10-16 of FIG. 9.

The general environment and mode of operation of the batt divider unit herein disclosed is similar to that shown in my copending application aforesaid. This application will be limited to a disclosure of particulars in which the present invention differs from and improves upon the structure disclosed in said prior application.

As in the prior application, strips it) of batt material are formed on the upwardly moving screen conveyor 11 and are deposited on the horizontally moving conveyor belt 12. Strips ll? are merely illustrative of the various shapes of butts which can be divided by the mechanism herein disclosed. The batt can be continuous across the full width of belt 12, or formed into strips as shown. Because the belt 12 and other components shown herein are much wider than in the device shown in the prior application aforesaid, much more batt material is presented to the batt divider unit for subdivision.

Belt 12 is supported on slides over the top surface of apron table 18 which provides a firm support against which subsequent batt dividing operations are carried out. The batt material is compacted somewhat by a compacting apron belt 13, the lower run of which is appropriately spaced from belt 12.

The strips it) on belt l2 pass beneath one or more vacuum hoods l4, 15 which are operated pursuant to the structure of the present invention to subdivide the otherwise undivided strips lt into pad segments 16 spaced longitudinally by subdividing gaps 17. As in the prior application, when the hoods i4, 15 are lowered into pressure contact with the strips 10 and the hoods are subjected to subatmospheric pressure, the batt material exposed to the interior of the hoods will be removed pneumatically through the discharge conduits 2% for return to the chamber in which the upwardly moving belt ll operates.

As best shown in FIG. 1, the discrete pads 16 may then be ensleeved between upper and lower Wrapping sheets 21, 22, of paper or the like, and further conveyed by the belt conveyor 23 for embossing, slitting, etc., as outlined in the prior application aforesaid. As shown herein, however, the transfer of the pads 15 from belt conveyor 12 to belt conveyor 23 is facilitated by the guide rod 2 which extends laterally across the width of the respective belt conveyors 12, 23 and over which the lower paper web 22 is guided. The rod 24 is positioned closely adjacent the periphery of end roller 25 and in alignment with the top run of belt 12, thus to reduce to a negligible amount the gap beyond the discharge end of belt 12.

Each hood 14, 15 is mounted on its own carriage 2 5, 29. The carriages consist respectively of side bearing blocks 27 adapted to slide along the longitudinal guide rods 28 which are disposed along the margins of the belt conveyor 12. The respective bearing blocks 27 in each carriage are cross connected by angle tie bars 31.

Each bearing block 27 has a laterally projecting shelf 30 which supports on its undersurface a fluid motor 32, the piston rod 33 of which extends upwardly through a suitable aperture provided in the shelf and is connected with a cross head 34 (see FIG. 7). The cross head is guided for reciprocating movement vertically by the guide pins 35 which reciprocate through suitable bores formed in the bearing block 27.

Each cross head 34 supports the legs 3% of a generally U-shaped bracket from the top web 37 of which the sheet metal hood 14 or 15 is suspended on angle brackets 3 The hood is desirably made in separate parts which telescope laterally. Where there is a relatively large quantity of material to be removed, the sections are ordinarily enlarged laterally to provide a greater air flow. The converse is true of narrow batts. Moreover, when the strips 15 are relatively deep, a wider space is desirable so that when the Wrapper is applied, there will be more space between pads in which to emboss and slit the paper webs. The respective brackets 38 have slide fasteners 39 which may slide along the bracket web 37 and are threadedly engaged with the adjusting screws 41 best shown in FIG. 6. The threads on the screw 41 at opposite sides of central bearing bracket 42 are threaded allochirally so that the respective parts of the hood respectively connected to the angle brackets 38 can be concurrently moved toward or away from each other to increase or decrease the cross section of the hood. Screw 41 has a headed end 43 to which a wrench can be fitted.

The hood parts are provided at their lower margins with sealing strips 44 which will clamp against the batt strips as shown in FIGURE 3 and prevent leakage of air into the hood. The hood is open to the atmosphere at ports 45, the size of which can be adjusted by manipulation of slide valves td. When the hoods are subject to subatmospheric pressure, air will be admitted through the port 45 and air and batt material entrained therein will be removed from the hoods through the ducts 48 and to the center of the hoods through duct 47 and sleeve 51. Flexible conduits 52 return the batt material removed by the hoods to a duct 53 to the chamber in which the strips are first formed on the belt 11.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, flexible conduits 52 have intermediate gate valves 54 actuated by fluid motors 55. The control of the operation of the gate valves 54, which selectively subject the vacuum hoods 14, to subatmospheric pressure, and the coordination between the operation of these valves and the movement of the hoods to and from the batt strips 1% will be described in greater detail in connection with the control circuit shown in FIG. 8.

The respective carriages 26 and 2 for the hoods 14, 15 are driven by lead screws 56 on paths parallel to the path of movement of the belt conveyor 12. There is one lead screw at each side of the batt divider unit, as shown in FIG. 4. The respective bearing blocks 27 for each carriage have depending releasable clamp arms 57 (FIG. 5) which frictionally engage the periphery of nuts 60 in threaded engagement with the lead screws 56. Accordingly, on rotation of the lead screws 56 in one direction or the other, the respective carriages 26, 29 will advance axially along the lead screws 56 as guided by the guide rods 28. The clamp arms 57 may be disengaged from the periphery of the nuts by loosening clamp arm screws 61. This will permit adjustment of the respective carriages axially with respect to the lead screw 56.

Relatively fine axial adjustment of the respective carriages with respect to lead screws 56 is eifectuated by turning the adjusting rod 62 with which each carriage is provided. Rod 62 extends from nut 6d at one side of the conveyor to nut 6%) at the opposite side of the conveyor. The rod has worm segments 63 (FIG. 4) engaged with drive pinions 64 on the nuts 60. Accordingly, the nuts 6% can be turned for fine axial adjustment thereof independently of drive to the lead screw 56 from transmission 63. In this manner, both the axial spacing between the two carriages 26, 29 and the relative longitudinal position of both carriages with respect to the conveyor table 18 is readily adjustable.

The respective ends of the lead screws 56 are provided with dual drive sprockets 65 about which are trained dual drive chains as which are in turn trained about dual drive sprockets 67 on the reversing transmission 68 shown in detail in FIG. 9. The transmission 68 is driven from line shaft 71 (FIG. 4) through chain 72 which engages sprocket 73 on the input shaft 74 of the transmission 68.

As is clearly shown in FIG. 4, dual chain as is trained over sprockets 75 on chain tighteners 76 and is concurrently in drive engagement with the sprocket 65 for each of the line shafts 56.

The reversing transmission 68 consists of forward gear set 76 and a reverse gear set 77. As best shown in FIG. 10, reverse gear set 77 consists of gear 80 on the drive shaft 74, gear 81 on reverse clutch 82 and an intermediate reverse gear 83 on jack shaft 84. The reverse clutch 82 is a conventional electromagnetic clutch which selectively clutches and declutches the gear 81 to the transmission output shaft 85.

The forward gear set '76 consists of a gear 86 on input shaft 74 and a gear 87 connected to the forward electromagnetic clutch 88 which selectively connects gear 87 to the transmission output shaft 85. The respective electromagnetic clutches 82, 88 are electrically interlocked so that when one clutch is engaged, the other is automatically disengaged. Accordingly, only one or the other or" the clutches 82, 33 will engage its gear 81, 87 with the output shaft 35.

The transmission output shaft is also subject to an electromagnetic brake 91 which is used in the circuit shown PEG. 8 to positively stop reverse travel of the respective hood carriages 26, 29 pursuant to the operation of the control circuit.

The circuit diagrammatically shown in FIG. 8 respectively controls the electromagnetic couplings of the reversing transmission 68, the pneumatic motors 32 which raise and lower the hoods 14, 15, and operates the motors 55 for the gates which selectively subject the hoods to subatmospheric pressure. The circuit includes a series of limit switches having actuating arms disposed in the path of a striker rod 92 on carriage 26. No such striker rod need be provided on the carriage 29, inasmuch as once the spacing between the two carriages is established by manipulat ng the nuts 60 as aforesaid, the two carniages 26, 29 will maintain the exact spacing and all carriage movement is controlled according to the position of carriage 26.

As is explained in greater detail in the copending application aforesaid, carriage 29 and hood 15 need only be used where relatively short pads are to be produced. Where long pads are to be produced, only carriage 26 and hood 14- are used. Under these circumstances, carriage 29 is disengaged from the lead screws 56 by releasing the clamp arms 57.

An electrical counter 111, which is also shown in my copending application aforesaid, is used to control the initiation of each cycle of movement of the respective hoods. The control circuit shown herein is superimposed upon the control circuit shown in the prior application to .ccommodate for the fact that in the device of the present invention reverse movement or" the hoods is not inherent in the mechanical structure and is eifectuated by control of the reversing transmission 68, as will now be described.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 8, there are two sets of three limit switches, each respectively mounted on the bracket plates 93 and 9'4. These bracket plates are mounted for sliding movement along a longitudinal guideway 95. In normal course the bracket plate 93 will be adjusted to its appropriate position for the start of the batt dividing cycle and no further adjustment in its position need thereafter be made. As shown in FIG. 5, the plate is clamped by bolts in the dovetail slot 97 in the guideway 95.

Flare 94, however, will commonly be adjusted longitudinally on the guideway 95, depending upon the length of time that it is desired to maintain the hoods in pressure engagement with the batt strip 10. Different batt materials, batt sizes, etc., will require variations in the time of exposure.

In any event, once the desired time exposure of the hoods to the batt stnips it has been established, bracket 94 will be fixed in position on its guide-way 95 to produce the desired time exopsure. As aforestated, whore relatively lon strips are to be produced and in which there is ample time for a single hood 14 to cycle Within the length of a single pad, only one such hood is used. Where the pad length is so short that hood 14 will not have time to recycle within the length of a single pad, both hoods 14, 15 are used so that the minimum time to complete the cycle is doubled.

Bracket 93 is provided with three limit switches 98, 9?, 1th). Bracket 94 is provided with three limit switches 133, 1%, 195.

The electric counter 111 shown in the application aforesaid will time the initiation of the batt dividing cycle. Thereafter, the cycle will be regulated by operation of the switches on the panels 93, 94. Upon the completion of any cycle, the batt divider units will await the next signal from the electric counter 111 to re-start the cycle.

Assuming that the electric counter 111 signals controller 1% to initiate a cycle of operation, controller 1% wdl release brake 91 and engage the forward clutch 83 in the reversing transmission 68 and the lead screws 66 will start to advance carriage 26 and also carriage 29 if carriage 29 is coupled to the lead screws.

As tl e carriage moves forward, its striker rod 92 will first engage the actuator of switch 98. Switch 98 is connected to a control mechanism 1% for the pneumatic motors 32 to draw the hoods downwardly toward conveyor 12. The striker rod 92 next contacts the actuator for switch 99 which is connected to control apparatus 107 for the air gate valves 65. The spacing between the respective switches is so adjusted that the hoods come to matching speed before they are clamped against the conveyor belt 12 and the hoods are down before the gate valve 54 will operate.

Striker rod 92 will al o engage the actuator for switch 109, but this switch, which is designed to disconnect the reversing transmission 68 from the lead screws 55, will at this point in the cycle be interlocked against such actuation. During the continued movement of the carriages parallel to the movement of the belt 12, batt material in the gap areas thereof will be pneumatically removed.

After carriage 26 has reached a point where its striker rod 2 engages the actuator for switch 193 on panel bracket 94, all of the batt material will have been removed from the gap. Actuation of switch 1% will be effective through the control mechainsm 167 to reciose gate 54 and thus discontinue flow of through the hoods. Further movement of the carriage will then engage its striker rod against the actuator for switch 104- which is effective hrou gh control mechanism 1G to reverse the pneumatic motor 32 to raise the hoods from engagement with the belt 12. Shortly thereafter, the striker rod 92 will engage the switch 1% which will function through the controller mechanism 1&8 to energize the reversing electromagnetic clu-tc-h 82. This action automatically releases forward electromagnetic clutch 83.

Near the end of the return stroke, striker rod 92 will travel past switches 99, 98, which are interlocked against actuation on the return stroke, and engage the actuator for switch 16%) which will be effective through the controller 1% to disengage reverse clutch 82 and to actuate the brake 91. Because of overrun of the mechanisms, the carriage will drift past switch lift? before the carriage comes to a complete stop where it will be held by the brake 91 until the electric counter 111 again initiates the forward cycle by releasing brake 91 and energizing the coupling 88.

I claim:

1. A batt divider comprising L1 combination with a conveyor on which an undivided batt strip is conveyed, of a vacuum hood, a carriage on which said hood is adapted to travel alongside said conveyor with a portion of the batt strip exposed to the hood for pneumatic re moval of said portion, drive means for said carriage including a drive shaft in screw threaded drive connection with the carriage, a power source, a reversing transmission connecting the power source to the shaft and control means for actuating said reversing transmission to selectively advance the carriage forwardly in the direction of conveyor motion and retract the carriage rearwardly in the opposite direction, the screw threaded drive connection between the shaft and the hood comprising a threaded nut, and means for advancing and retracting said nut on said shaft independently of shaft drive through said reversing transmission.

2. A batt divider comprising in combination with a conveyor on which an undivided batt strip is conveyed, of a vacuum hood, a carriage on which said hood is adapted to travel alongside said conveyor with a portion of the batt strip exposed to the hood for pneumatic removal of said portion, drive means for said carriage including a drive shaft in screw threaded drive connection with the carriage, a power source, a reversing transmission connecting the power source to the shaft and control means for actuating said reversing transmission to selectively advance the carriage forwardly in the direction of conveyor motion and retract the carriage rearwardly in the opposite direction, said screw threaded drive connection between the shaft and the hood comprising a threaded nut, and means for advancing and retracting said nut on said shaft independently of shaft drive through said reversing transmission, said carriage being laterally elongated to span across said conveyor, said drive shaft being disposed at one side thereof, a second drive shaft and nut coupling at the opposite side thereof and means interconnecting said nuts across said conveyor for concurrently adjusting said nuts with respect to said drive shaft.

3. A batt divider comprising in combination with a conveyor on which an undivided batt strip is conveyed, of a vacuum hood, a carriage on which said hood is adapted to travel alongside said conveyor with a portion of the batt strip exposed to the hood for pneumatic removal of said portion, drive means for said carriage in cluding a drive shaft in screw threaded drive connection with the carriage, a power source, a reversing transmission connecting the power source to the shaft and control means for actuating said reversing transmission to selectively advance the carriage forwardly in the direction of conveyor motion and retract the carriage rearwardly in the opposite direction, said reversing transmission comprising forward and reverse gear sets and forward and reverse electrically actuated couplings to selectively couple one or the other of said gear sets to said shaft, a circuit for said couplings including control switches disposed along the path of carriage movement and responsive to carriage movement for the actuation of said couplings, said hood being provided with a motor to move it with respect to the travel of the conveyor and to and from pressure engagement with a batt strip on the conveyor, means for actuating said motor and comprising control switches disposed along the path of carriage move ment and responsive to carriage movement in timed sequence with the actuation of the control switches for the reversing transmission, in combination with means for selectively subjecting said vacuum hood to subatmospheric pressure and including control switches therefor disposed along the path of carriage movement and responsive to carriage movement for actuation thereof in timed sequence with the actuation of the reversing transmission control switches and the hood transport motor control switches.

4. The batt divider of claim 3 in which the respective switches aforesaid which are disposed along the path of carriage movement are provided with mounting means upon which their spacing is adjustable.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the control switches near the end of the forward travel of the hood are disposed for successive actuation in the following order:

the switch for controlling pressure within the hood,

the switch for the hood traverse motor, the switch for controlling the reversing transmission.

6. A batt divider comprising in combination with a conveyor on which an undivided batt strip is conveyed thereby, of a plurality of vacuum hoods extending transversely across said conveyor, each of said hoods having a carriage on which the hood is carried alongside said conveyor with a portion of the batt strip exposed to at least one of said hoods for pneumatic removal of said portion, drive means for the carriages comprising a threaded drive shaft, threaded nuts engaged With said drive shaft and in motion transmitting connection to the carriages, drive means for said threaded shafts for concurrently moving both said carriages and means for independently advancing on said drive shaft the nut of one carriage with respect to the nut of the other carriage to adjust the spacing between hoods.

7. The device of claim 6 in which said hoods span laterally across said conveyor, said drive shaft being disposed along one margin thereof, together with a second drive shaft along the other margin of the conveyor and having threaded nuts respectively in motion transmitting connection with the hood carriages and cross connections between the threaded nuts of the respective carriages for concurrent rotation of said nuts in the adjustment of the carriage coupled thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A BATT DIVIDER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION WITH A CONVEYOR ON WHICH AN UNDIVIDED BATT STRIP IS CONVEYED, OF A VACUUM HOOD, A CARRIAGE ON WHICH SAID HOOD IS ADAPTED TO TRAVEL ALONGSIDE SAID CONVEYOR WITH A PORTION OF THE BATT STRIP EXPOSED TO THE HOOD FOR PNEUMATIC REMOVAL OF SAID PORTION, DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID CARRIAGE INCLUDING A DRIVE SHAFT IN SCREW THREADED DRIVE CONNECTION WITH THE CARRIAGE, A POWER SOURCE, A REVERSING TRANSMISSION CONNECTING THE POWER SOURCE TO THE SHAFT AND CONTROL MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID REVERSING TRANSMISSION TO SELECTIVELY ADVANCE THE CARRIAGE FORWARDLY IN THE DIRECTION OF CONVEYOR MOTION AND RETRACT THE CARRIAGE REARWARDLY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, THE SCREW THREADED DRIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SHAFT AND THE HOOD COMPRISING A THREADED NUT, AND MEANS FOR ADVANCING AND RETRACTING SAID NUT ON SAID SHAFT INDEPENDENTLY OF SHAFT DRIVE THROUGH SAID REVERSING TRANSMISSION. 